Soo-yeong deliberately provoked him, but Woo-jin remained steadfast. His pumpkin-colored eyes looked down, making him seem somewhat melancholic, and she became convinced that he was an unknown writer.

After all, how could he write if he couldn’t see?

Soo-yeong suddenly wondered if the laundry on the balcony was dry. It was already past 8 o’clock. Time to start getting ready to leave.

She got up and then suddenly collapsed on the floor. It seemed fine when sitting, but standing up made the room spin.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Ugh… Seol Woo-jin… Did you mix soju in the wine? Why is it spinning so much?”

“You drank too much.”

Woo-jin guessed her position by her voice and knelt on one knee in front of her.

“The wine was too good. I should suggest drinking wine instead of beer when I meet So-senior or friends.”

“So-senior?”

“Yes. There’s a senior who’s great at leading people on. Always saying he likes me but dates other seniors… annoying. But it’s fine now. I’ve moved on.”

“A man?”

“Of course, a man. What, a woman? I like men. Very much, indeed.”

Suddenly, Soo-yeong lightly kissed his cheek. Woo-jin jerked away in surprise, and Soo-yeong was startled too.

What? Am I really drunk?

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to… I’m sorry… The wine, it’s intoxicating…”

Then Woo-jin’s fingertips touched her face. Wherever his fingertips touched, it seemed to burn red-hot.

His fingers accurately found her lower lip and gently pressed it, like playing a piano.

As his thin lips approached the spot his fingertips touched, Soo-yeong tightly closed her eyes.

The brief touch of lips, mixed with the scent of wine, was perfect. Again a light touch, and once more…

“Soo-yeong… Soo-yeong…”

Soo-yeong forced her eyes open, feeling something on her arm. There, in front of her, was the neat face of Ji-hyun.

“…Huh? …How did you come to my house?”
Then Ji-hyun sighed lightly. At that moment, a faint, muffled voice came from behind Soo-yeong’s head.

“…Ji-hyun? …When did you come?”

Why is this voice coming from behind? Suddenly realizing the situation, Soo-yeong screamed and flailed her arms. Then, a sound of someone being choked came from behind.

“Ugh!”

Her elbow had struck Woo-jin in the throat, who was lying behind her.

“Are you okay?”

She briefly acknowledged him, still coughing and clutching his throat, and then hurried to the balcony.

My clothes!

“Are you okay?”

While Soo-yeong was frantically gathering her clothes on the balcony, Ji-hyun lightly tapped Woo-jin’s arm. Startled, Woo-jin shook off her hand and sat up.

“What time is it now?”

Soo-yeong, clutching her clothes, rushed into the living room and yelled.

“It’s almost 12…”

Ji-hyun, trying to grasp the situation, alternately looked at Soo-yeong and Woo-jin and replied, causing Soo-yeong to scream and rush into the bathroom.

Soon, the sound of changing clothes could be heard. Woo-jin, with a hoarse voice, said to Ji-hyun.

“You brought your car, right? Take Soo-yeong… take her home.”

“…What happened between you two?”

Even half-asleep, Woo-jin understood Ji-hyun’s question and replied irritably.

“Nothing happened. Just take Soo-yeong home quickly.”

“Did you two finish a whole bottle of wine?”

“Yes. It was delicious with the kimbap. Try it sometime.”

Despite his hoarse voice, Woo-jin had said all he wanted to. Soo-yeong, now changed, burst out of the bathroom.

“I’m going now. Take care!”

“Ah, Soo-yeong, I’ll drive you.”

Ji-hyun stood up and said.

“Oh, it’s okay…”

“It’s too late now, and the buses might have stopped. I’ll take you quickly. Woo-jin, go back to bed.”

“Okay.”

Woo-jin waved his hand vaguely in the direction of Ji-hyun and Soo-yeong, his pumpkin-colored eyes floating somewhere between them.

Soo-yeong felt a pang of loneliness in his eyes but knew getting home was urgent.

Driving to the address Soo-yeong provided, Ji-hyun glanced at her sitting in the passenger seat.

“Did something happen between you and Woo-jin?”

“Nothing happened!”

Soo-yeong raised her hand as if she had been waiting for that question.

“Ah, okay…”

Ji-hyun’s doubtful voice made Soo-yeong quickly add,

“Really, really, nothing happened. I don’t know why I fell asleep, but really, nothing…”

But then she remembered his thin lips approaching her. No, before that, she had initiated…

“…Was it… not… nothing?”

Soo-yeong muttered, staring blankly ahead, which made Ji-hyun glance at her again.

Both were fully dressed.

No, more important than that was Woo-jin’s touch. He, who extremely disliked being touched by others and touching others, was holding this woman in his arms.

This was more than a significant development; it made her an indispensable person in Woo-jin’s life.

I must somehow keep her by Woo-jin’s side.

Filled with the same sense of mission as when he decided to establish a publishing house for Woo-jin, Ji-hyun was determined to create a situation for Soo-yeong to be with Woo-jin.

After dropping Soo-yeong off at home, Ji-hyun found Woo-jin writing at his desk. He knew the keyboard by heart, so his typing skill was no different from others.

After typing, the reader on his laptop read the text aloud to check for typos.

“Did you drop her off okay?”

Woo-jin, sensing Ji-hyun’s return, immediately asked.

“Yeah. Are you okay? Too much wine can get you drunk.”
“I took some medicine, so I’m okay. Not sure about Soo-yeong, though. She drank quite a bit too.”

“How did you two finish a whole bottle of wine?”

Ji-hyun asked as she laid her tired body on a massage chair.

“I made a mess because Ji-hyun asked for something unnecessary, so I soaked her clothes. I gave her my clothes to change into and waited for hers to dry.”

“While drinking wine?”

“Yes.”

“Who made the kimbap? Did Soo-yeong make it?”

At that, Woo-jin got suddenly irritated.

“Stop asking! It’s confusing!”

Ji-hyun flinched at her brother’s annoyance and closed her mouth. It seemed like the wrong time to press him. After typing for a while, Woo-jin, feeling her gaze, said dryly,

“Nothing happened. Don’t look at me like that.”

“…Do you like that woman?”

“What?”

Woo-jin’s eyebrows twitched.

“Do you like Soo-yeong?”

“…Why are you asking that?”

Instead of saying no, Woo-jin questioned why she asked, making Ji-hyun’s lips curl into a soft smile.

“No… I just noticed you usually hate being touched, but you seemed okay with touching Soo-yeong. Is that so?”

Woo-jin then stared at Ji-hyun silently. His intense gaze made Ji-hyun feel like he was actually looking at her.

“That woman… she doesn’t see me that way.”

A hint of yearning in Woo-jin’s soft voice made Ji-hyun’s eyes narrow.